Mark Cuban talks HGH in the NBA

Mark Cuban is a guy who has big opinions. He always speaks his mind, and a lot of times, he’s right on. He isn’t afraid to criticize players, coaches, the league, and officials, and he is known as a loose cannon.

When it comes to PED’s in sports, basketball and football have taken a quiet approach, while baseball is the crazy guy handing out flyers at your local loud music concert. Cuban talked to USA Today about using human growth hormone in the NBA:

"“The issue isn’t whether I think it should be used,” Cuban told USA TODAY Sports via e-mail. “The issue is that it has not been approved for such use. And one of the reasons it hasn’t been approved is that there have not been studies done to prove the benefits of prescribing HGH for athletic rehabilitation or any injury rehabilitation that I’m aware of. The product has such a huge (public) stigma that no one wants to be associated with it….“I believe that professional sports leagues should work together and fund studies to determine the efficacy of HGH for rehabbing an injury,” Cuban told USA TODAY Sports. “Working together could lead us from the path of demonizing HGH and even testosterone towards a complete understanding. It could allow us to make a data based decision rather than the emotional decision we are currently making. And if it can help athletes recover more quickly, maybe we can extend careers and have healthier happier players and fans.”“The issue isn’t whether I think it should be used,” Cuban told USA TODAY Sports via e-mail. “The issue is that it has not been approved for such use. And one of the reasons it hasn’t been approved is that there have not been studies done to prove the benefits of prescribing HGH for athletic rehabilitation or any injury rehabilitation that I’m aware of. The product has such a huge (public) stigma that no one wants to be associated with it….“I believe that professional sports leagues should work together and fund studies to determine the efficacy of HGH for rehabbing an injury,” Cuban told USA TODAY Sports. “Working together could lead us from the path of demonizing HGH and even testosterone towards a complete understanding. It could allow us to make a data based decision rather than the emotional decision we are currently making. And if it can help athletes recover more quickly, maybe we can extend careers and have healthier happier players and fans.”"

I see where he’s coming from here, but there is way too much gray to allow this to happen. I assume there are a lot of NBA players currently using HGH, and if you don’t, then you are naive. It seems like a good idea on the surface, but using drugs of any kind can lead to some things that won’t be beneficial. The NBA has been hit with some tough injuries this season, and seeing these guys back sooner would be a good thing. Also, guys like Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady could have had different paths had they used something like this.

Though studying it wouldn’t be bad, the NBA should stray away from anything controversial, and I don’t see any league making HGH legal.